Island



(No Model.)

- 0. FAIRBANKS. VEGETABLE SLIGIN-G MAUHINE. No. 501,928. Patented-Jul25.1 893.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CRAWFORD M. FAIRBANKS, OF CENTRAL FALLS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGEE. CRANSTON, OF RIVERSIDE, RHODE ISLAND.

VEGETABLE- SLICING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,928, dated July 25,1893. Application filed November 30, 1892- Serial No. 453,604. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CRAWFORD M. FAIR- BANKS, of Central Falls, in thecounty of Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Vegetable-Slicing Machines; and Ido hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, is adescription of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in theart to practice it.

My invention relates to improvements in vegetable slicingmachines inwhich a succession of knife-blades, arranged in a conic figure, inconjunction with a cooperating plunger, are employed to cut vegetablesor fruit into tapering slices with speed and of a thickness as desired.These results are attained through the machine illustrated in thedrawings, in which Figure 1 represents an elevation of the machine; Fig.2 an elevation partly in section, the plunger in conjunction with theknifeblades; Fig. 3 a front view of the knife blades; Fig. 4 a side Viewof a portion of the knife-blades, a section of the peripheral stay, rim,truncated nut and bolt; Fig. 5 a front View of the slotted plunger; Fig.6 a sectional side view of the plunger and shaft connecting it with thehand lever and Fig. 7 a section of the peripheral stay.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

The plunger 0' is slotted, the slots correspondingin number to theknife-blades B, and is adjusted to the shaft C so that the slots will bein line with the knife-blades. The knifeblades are detachable, eachindependent of the other, so that a greater or less number may be usedas desired (a provision which allows in a single machine, a division ofthe fruit or vegetable into sections large or small), provided that themaximum number of knifeblades do not exceed the number of slots in theplunger. Preferably the bed A, the peripheral stay A and the plungersleeve guide A are constructed in one piece. The stay A is designedtohold in position the remote or separated end of the knife-blades, andinteriorly, is provided with a sharp rim slitted at intervals about halfits depth to receive the knife-blades edgewise. The rim forms an acuteangle with the interior surface of the peripheral stay and fits a notch,cut at the same angle, near to the remote end of the knife-blades, shownin Fig. 4. the design of which is to prevent them from being displacedunder pressure of the plunger. The slits in the rim provide against alateral movement of the blades and hold the remote end of theknife-blades in position during the operation of fastening at the apex.A truncated nut and bolt D are employed to group and hold theknife-blades at the apex or place of convergence of said blades, the nutbeing provided with a rim and the knife blade notched; the method ofholding being substantially the same as at the remote end of theknife-blade. By loosening the truncated nut the knifeblades may beremoved in whole or in part at pleasure. The slots in the plunger willbe of a depth to permit the same to pass in between the knife-blades toforce the object D D is a compound hand lever to which the shaft G isattached for operating the plunger.

I am aware that several patents of the United States have been grantedfor machines similar to my invention. Hence I make no claim to thedistinctive features of such prior inventions.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combinationof a slotted plunger, detachable cooperating k nife-blades, peripheralstay provided with a slotted interior for holding the remote ends of thesame truncated nut and bolt for holding the knife-blades at theconverging ends of the same, and compound lever for operating theplunger, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day ofNovember, 1892.

CRAWFORD M. FAIRBANKS.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH E. FALES, R. E. ANDERSON.

